No Depression, Roots & Branches

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In the fall of 1995, No Depression began its run as a quarterly print magazine dedicated to the burgeoning alt-country movement. When it went out of print in 2008, it was a bimonthly glossy magazine that had traced the evolution and growth of American roots music over the course of more than a decade. Artists who graced its cover were as variant as Whiskeytown and Allen Toussaint, Ralph Stanley and the Shins, Alison Krauss and Elvis Costello, but the one thing they all had in common was an allegiance to the roots of music that was truly American. These days, that's widely considered Americana, but for the duration of ND's original print run, it was more frequently called “No Depression music.”

In the autumn of 2015, to celebrate its 20th anniversary, No Depression announced its return to print, after seven years of being an online-only publication. Its Spring 2016 issue sees the quarterly roots music journal printed on 156 pages of high-quality, 100 percent recycled paper, using biodegradable ink. Six long features explore, in-depth, the stories of David Grisman, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Robert Burns Oklahoma's musical legacy, and harmonica greats like Howlin' Wolf and Charlie Musselwhite. There are 13 shorter profiles of artists who have branched from those roots, like Pokey LaFarge, Anderson East, Nikki Lane, Front Country and much more. There is a deep Q&A with Mavis Staples, plus expansive photo essays and beautiful original illustrations. The finished product feels more like a coffee table book than a glossy magazine, but that's the point. Each new issue of No Depression is intended to be a print keepsake of great art and storytelling around American roots music. No Depression, after all, has always celebrated quality handmade music and they believe handmade music deserves a quality journal you can hold in your hand.

Content:

Long Features:

How Robert Burns influenced the American folk revival

The evolution and influence of the harmonica

The lasting legacy of Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Exploring bluegrass and authenticity in Japan

David Grisman's half-century of unabashedly acoustic music

Short Features:

Dori Freeman

Willy Vlautin

Pokey LaFarge

Hubert Sumlin

Ruby Amanfu

Mavis Staples

Anderson East

The New Oklahoma: Parker Millsap, John Fullbright, John Moreland, Jesse Aycock, Samantha Crain, and more

Photos/Art:

Cover art by Jon Langford, plus dozens of pages of stunning photography and original illustration.